High On Healthy

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky speaks with cybersecurity leader, ethical hacker, and Microsoft educator Eva Benn about the psychological and security risks associated with artificial intelligence. Benn highlights that modern cybersecurity threats have shifted focus from compromising data centers to manipulating human cognition, as AI systems interact emotionally and mimic...

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicki speaks with mediator and peacemaker Doug Noll about navigating intense emotional triggers, political polarization, and high-conflict discussions. Noll explains that personal and political arguments escalate when individuals feel unheard, which causes their prefrontal cortex to go offline and leaves them reacting from a place of fear or threa...

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky speaks with executive coach Adam W. Barney about the impact of political polarization on personal relationships and mental well-being ahead of the US elections. They discuss how political identity can overshadow human connection, the challenge of maintaining agency amidst uncontrollable events, and the distinction between information and emot...

Richard Zwicky sits down with Dr. Connie McReynolds to explore the root causes behind attention and focus struggles often labeled as ADHD. Dr. McReynolds reveals how underlying auditory and visual processing differences—rather than a lack of effort or intelligence—drive behavioral challenges in relationships, school, and the workplace. By shifting from judgment to understanding, leveraging neuropl...

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky interviews US Army veteran Rogers Masson about his experience as a participant in MAPS phase three studies testing MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Masson discusses the political and regulatory hurdles facing psychedelic therapy, how traditional therapeutic playlists can be distracting, and how his background in electroacoustics led him to fo...

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with author Tim Ash to discuss his latest book, Primal Wellness . Ash explains that while modern technology and societal culture have rapidly evolved, human biology and psychology remain largely unchanged over the last 200,000 years. Rather than relying on temporary health fads or complex "biohacking" optimizations, Ash emph...

In this episode of High on Healthy , host Richard Zwicky sits down with clinical therapist, data scientist, and author Dr. Joshua Estrin to explore the evolving landscape of freedom, safety, and personal identity. Together, they examine how modern surveillance, digital culture, and social media pressures force individuals—especially younger generations—to perform authenticity in the public eye rat...

In this interview on High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky and futurist Daniel Burrus examine the dual-edged impact of artificial intelligence on mental health, behavior prediction, and society. They discuss the risks of over-relying on AI for personal counsel instead of human relationships, the challenges of disinformation, and the necessity of rigorous fact-checking and critical thinking. Emphasi...

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky speaks with Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at UC Irvine, about how digital technology and AI impact human attention spans, critical thinking, and social well-being. Mark explains that while our fundamental capacity for focus remains intact, modern environments foster constant interruptions—both external and self-induced—that fragment o...

Dr. Samantha DeCaro, Director of Clinical Outreach and Education at The Renfrew Center, sits down with host Richard Zwicky to explore the fine line between healthy self-improvement and destructive perfectionism. They go into how cultural messaging and social media often weaponize our insecurities—particularly around body image and wellness—leading many toward eating disorders and the "arrival...

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with licensed therapist and holistic mental health practitioner Shale Maulana to explore how trauma, implicit memory, and the nervous system interact. Comparing conscious awareness to a "flashlight in a warehouse," Maulana explains how unprocessed emotional material lives in the body and subconscious mind, manifesting as anx...

Richard Zwicky speaks with board-certified psychotherapist and physician Dr. Hans Watson about the intersection of psychedelic-assisted therapy, attachment styles, and intimate relationship dynamics. Dr. Watson dicusses how substances like MDMA and ketamine lower emotional defenses, enabling couples to experience genuine empathy and break through entrenched behavioral patterns within a safe, struc...

In this episode of High on Healthy , host Richard Zwicky sits down with Myriam Barthes, co-founder and CEO of Journey Clinical, to explore how integrating psychedelic medicine with structured psychotherapy creates scalable, meaningful mental health treatment. Barthes discusses the critical role of medical oversight, preparation, and integration windows in fostering neuroplasticity, helping patient...

Richard Zwicky speaks with Dr. Amy Bucher, the Chief Behavioral Officer at Lirio. They explore how the psychological mechanisms often utilized by social media to capture attention can instead be applied to improve healthcare outcomes, such as encouraging medication adherence, vaccinations, and cancer screenings. Dr. Bucher outlines how Lirio leverages behavioral science and multi-agent AI systems...

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky interviews Dr. Theresa B. Skaar, a social psychologist and mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor, to explore the psychological toll of relentless accomplishment. The conversation focuses on how high achievers often tie their identity entirely to milestones, leading to burnout, imposter syndrome, and a deep disconnect from their true s...

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky joins licensed professional counselors Beth Valdez and Helene Zupanc—co-authors of Sticky Note Mantras—to explore why high-achievers often struggle to enjoy their successes and feel trapped in a cycle of constant striving. They delve into the neuroscience behind our "predictive" brains, which are wired for survival rather than fulfil...

Richard Zwicky interviews Dr. Joshua Pritikin, a quantitative psychologist and talk therapy practitioner, to discuss finding meaning in life through spiritual experiences. Dr. Pritikin introduces a progressive framework utilizing Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which allows individuals to understand their inner "subpersonalities" and practice "unblending" from reactive emoti...

High on Healthy host Richard Zwicky speaks with podcast host and mental health advocate Emily LoMenzo Washcovick about navigating attention, technology, and neurodiversity. Drawing from her personal experience with a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and her background working at tech companies like Yelp, LoMenzo Washcovick discusses how modern platforms are intentionally engineered to exploit human att...

In this episode of High on Healthy , host Richard Zwicky sits down with retired infantry officer Aaron Baty to explore a profound journey of healing from trauma, PTSD, and the invisible scars of military service. After years of struggling with conventional treatments, alcohol reliance, and a sense of detachment from his family, Aaron shares how psychedelic-assisted therapy—specifically ibogaine—se...

Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan joins High and Healthy to challenge the reactive nature of current mental healthcare systems, which often wait for catastrophic burnout or crisis before intervening. He outlines a proactive model where AI analyzes subtle vocal biomarkers—such as tone, pauses, and speech patterns—during routine, everyday conversations to detect early shifts in emotional well-being. Unlike...

In this episode of High and Healthy , host Richard Zwicky and guest Nick Jonsson—psychotherapist and author of Executive Loneliness —deconstruct the misconception that loneliness is simply an absence of people. Drawing on his own experiences with corporate burnout and addiction recovery, Jonsson argues that the "lonely at the top" phenomenon is actually a crisis of authenticity, driven by...

In this interview, licensed therapist and founder of Cannectd Wellness , Shari Kaplan, challenges the polarized "pro- vs. anti-AI" debate in mental health care, advocating instead for a "collaborative tool" approach. Kaplan explains that rather than replacing the therapist, her AI system functions as a supportive bridge between sessions, helping patients practice self-regulation, b...

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky interviews holistic health coach Rebecca de Lia about the profound impact of early childhood experiences on adult relationships, nervous system regulation, and overall well-being. They challenge the misconception that trauma is limited to extreme abuse, discussing how subtle forms of emotional neglect often shape our attachment styles and su...

Richard Zwicky talks with psychologist Dr. Krista Jordan to explore the powerful role of the subconscious in our daily lives and relationships. Dr. Jordan explains that a significant portion of our behavior—including perceptions, judgments, and reactions—operates outside conscious awareness, often driven by evolutionary adaptations and childhood experiences. They discuss the necessity of "dept...

In this episode of High and Healthy , host Richard Zwicky speaks with therapist Wendi Dumbroff to explore why individuals frequently fall into repetitive, unhealthy relationship cycles. Rather than focusing on "fixing" a partner, the discussion highlights the power of self-confrontation and examining one’s own history to understand how childhood experiences unconsciously drive current trig...